Liquid Assets: The Lidos and Open Air Swimming Pools of Britain

In Liquid Assets journalist Janet Smith, author of a history of Tooting Bec Lido and herself a keen swimmer, traces the development of Britain's surprisingly rich stock of lidos, starting with their muddy beginnings in London's parks, through their fashionable heyday in the 1930s, to their battle for survival today. Lavishly illustrated with both archive and contemporary photographs, Liquid Assets highlights some of the nation's outstanding architectural examples. But if lidos were once to be found in virtually every town and city, since 1945 many have been closed, often despite the efforts of thousands of vociferous campaigners. Liquid Assets charts the best of these lost lidos, including one in Purley where the towering concrete and steel diving board now form the curious centrepiece of a garden centre. The book also provides a unique listing of all lidos still open in Britain, with detailed case studies of the most impressive.